Supporting-stand and playing mechanism for musical instruments.



C. W. UNGER, JR. SUPPORTING STAND AND PLAYING MBCHANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

l APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25. 1909.

Patented June 6, 1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES UNGER,-JR., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCES W. UNGER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SUPPORTING-STAND AND PLAYING MEGHANISM FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1911.

Application led August 25, 1909. Serial No. 514,549.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. UNGER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Supporting-Stands and Playing Mechanisms for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation more particularly to a novel supporting stand for a bass drum and cymbal, combined with a playing mechanism therefor, and a prime object of my invention is to provide a novel supporting stand which will support a plurality of musical instruments in an operative position to be played upon, a playing mechanism being attached thereto, whereby a single player operating another musical instrument may actuate the playing mechanism so as to play the different instruments supported by the stand, singly or in unison.

Another object of this invention, is to provide a portable stand and playing mechanism that may be folded into a compact form for the purposes of transportation, and that may be instantly attached to a musical instrument or removed therefrom.

I attain the above objects by means of the device described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings annexed hereto in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvedstand, showing an instrument supported thereby. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the stand with a pluralityY of instruments mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional partial side elevation of the stand taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1

is a sectional detail of a portion of the instrument playing mechanism,taken on line 4 4 of F ig. 1. -F ig. 5 is a sectional detail of another portion of the instrument playing mechanism, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view of the playing mechanism taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

In a practical embodiment of my invention the instrument standpreferably consists of a metallic skeleton frame work rectangular in form provided with means to clamp a drum in place thereon, and provided with means to prevent movement when a musician is operating the instrument. The front portion of the stand is provided with a vertically disposed frame work, on which the instrument playing mechanism is mounted, together with the additional instrument.

The supporting frame work also carries a if series of pedals operatively connected to the playing mechanism.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, 5, 6, designate two parallel and horizontally disposed side bars which form the supporting frame of the stand, being tied together at the front and rear by the rods 8, 9. A portion of the lower edges of the side bars at the front and rear are turned outwardly at right angles to form I the slotted member 18 maintains the member 17 in a rigid position on the bars.

Mounted at the outer end of the side bars 5, 6, and on their inner faces are vertically disposed bars 22, 23, which are connected together at their upper ends by horizontally disposed bar 24 which is preferably formed integral therewith. These bars form a frame work for a playing mechanism which I will now proceed to describe.

Pivotally mounted on a transversely extending rod 25 secured to the side bars'5, 6, of the stand, are a plurality of pedal bars 26, 27, 28, having hinged to their outer ends foldable foot pedals 29, 30, 31. The pedal bars are provided with apertured lugs 32 which are engaged respectively by a plurality of vertically disposed actuating rods 33 vwhich extend upwardly detachably engaging the horizontally extending arms 34: of a plurality of bell crank levers 35, 36, 37, which are pivotally mounted on a rod 38 mounted in the playing mechanism frame. The other arms 39 of the bellcrank levers have pin and slot connections with the lower ends of two drum hammers 40 that arepi'vl-ff otally mounted above their ends on a transversely extending rod 41. The drum hammers 40 are normally pressed against the inner face of a transversely extending bar 24 by the action of a plurality of coiled springs 43, which are mounted on shaft 41, their upper ends engaging the hammers and forcing them forwardly as clearly shown in the various views of the drawings. The lower end of these springs bear against the inner face of rod 38, thus maintaining the pedal bars in a raised position. Arms 34 of the two outside bell crank levers are provided with upwardly extending lugs 44 to each of which is rigidly secured a cymbal hammer rod 45, provided on its upper end with an adjustable hammer 46.

It will be obvious from the above description that when the two outside foot pedals are pressed downwardly by the foot of the player that the two outside bell crank levers will be rocked on their shaft forcing the cymbal hammer 46 operated by pedal 31 against the cymbal and the drum hammer 40 and cymbal hammer 46 operated by pedal 29 against the drum, the cymbal hammer and drum hammer operated by pedal 29 being forced against the drum and cymbal simultaneously,

The cross bar 24 is provided near its middle with an aperture through which extends laterally a cymbal carrying stud 50, the cymbal 51 being secured thereto on the outer end thereof by means of a winged nut 52. Bar 23 at the upper end thereof is provided with a bearing lug 53 which extends at right angles thereto and is provided with an aperture through which passes a set screw 54, the threaded end of the screw entering a screw threaded aperture in the lug 53, thus maintaining the stud 50 in an adjusted and rigid position. By means of this set screw 54 the cymbal 51 may be adjusted accurately with respect to the cymbal hammers.

In order to maintain the drum hammers 40 in an inoperative position while the drum is being transported with the stand secured thereto, I have provided a bar 55 pivotally secured at one end to the cross bar 24. This bar when the playing mechanism is in operative position, stands in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, but when the operator desires to render the drum hammers inoperative the bar is thrown downwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings the lugs 56 on the bar being interposed between the inner face of bar 24 and the hammer rods.

In order to prevent a rearward movement of the supporting stand when the musician is operating the instruments attached thereto, the side bars 5, 6, are each provided with a pointed detent 57 adjustably mounted on bolts 21 which hold the jaws 17 in an -adjusted relation on the stand, the pointed end of the detents contacting with the floor or other surface on which the stand is placed and preventing a rearward movement.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that I have provided a novel musical instrument stand which will securely maintain the instruments attached thereto from movement while the musician is operating the playing mechanism. It will be further observed that I have provided a unique mechanism whereby a single musician may operate the various instruments attached to the stand while playing other instruments such as snare or kettle drums.

By adjustably securing the various portions of the stand together, I am enabled to fold the stand into a compact form for transportation, the vertically disposed frame which carries the playing mechanism being turned downwardly on its pivotal rod 8. Before folding the frame on the pivot rod 8 it is necessary to remove the fastening devices or screws 58 which pass through the side bars 5 and 6 and normally engage the lower ends of the bars 22 and 23 so as to hold the frame upright.

Attention is called to the fact that in the arrangement described, I provide a single hammer or drum stick for beating the drum without simultaneously striking the cymbal. I provide another drum stick or hammer which is operated in combination with the cymbal hammer so that the cymbal is struck simultaneously when the drum is struck, and I provide still another cymbal hammer which enables the cymbal to be struck independently of the drum. In this way different musical effects can be produced by actuating the different pedals.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a main supporting frame, means for detachably holding a drum thereupon, an ripper frame pivotally attached to said frame near one end thereof and adapted to fold toward said drum-holding means and down upon said main frame when the drum is not in place, means for normally holding said upper frame in an upright position, means for detachably holding a cymbal on said upper frame, pivotally mounted hammers supported on said upper frame adapted to strike the drum or the cymbal, and pedals attached to said main frame and connected with said hammers.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a main frame adapted to rest upon a support, means for detachably securing a drum on said main frame, an upper frame attached to said main frame, and projecting upwardly therefrom adjacent to the position of the drum, means for supporting a cymbal on said upper frame on the side of said frame remote from the drum, a plurality of hammers mounted to swing in the space between the Cymbal and the drum, have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th a plurality of pedals connected With said day of August, 1909. hammers and adapted to aetuate the same,

and means carried by said upper frame for C' W UNGER JR 5 holding certain of said hammers against Witnesses:

movement. EDMUND A. STRAUSE,

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I ETHEL COLEMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

